Note that when you were on the skyway on Feros, there were entrances into side walkways. That is why you saw those red dots. You can get out and go into those areas on foot and take down the geth in there along with some storage containers with goodies. Also note that you can get extra experience if you jump out and kill things on foot vs killing them in the Mako. As much as I love the Mako and its sick jumps, I made sure to jump out after a period of time to kill things on foot for more experience.
Just some pointers but make sure to look at your team balance before you go off ship. Tali is great for decryption while liara is strong with biotics. I would suggest Tali and Ashley since you are a vanguard.
Also note that planets you can visit will normally have three locations to visit and three mineral deposits you can scan. This does not apply to main story missions
Also when looking at your mission tab you have an assignment tab that holds all your secondary or side missions.
mclazyj's comments